Design Technology
'Design is intelligence made visible' - Alina Wheeler
National Curriculum Aims
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The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:
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develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
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build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
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critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
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understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook
The progression of Design Technology through school
Key stage 1
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Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment]. When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
Design
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design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
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generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology
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Make
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select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
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select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics
Evaluate
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explore and evaluate a range of existing products
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evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
Technical knowledge
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build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
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explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
Key stage 2
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Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment]. When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:
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Design
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use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
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generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
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select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately
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select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Evaluate
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investigate and analyse a range of existing products
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evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
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understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
Technical knowledge
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apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
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understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages]
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understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors]
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apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.
Cooking and nutrition
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As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. Pupils should be taught to:
Key stage 1
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use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
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understand where food comes from.
Key stage 2
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understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
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prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
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understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.